Machinery guard for textile combing and other machines



July 13, 1954 D. PlERREPoNT MACHINERY GUARD FOR TEXTILE COMBING AND OTHER MACHINES Filed Jne 23, 1951 Tl Will! n.

@MMM M7 Patented July 13, 1954 UNITED STATES 'A ATENT CFFICE MACHINERY GUARD FOR TEXTILE COMB- ING AND OTHER MACHINES Donald Pierrepont, Werneth, Oldham, England,

assignor to T. M.

(Research) Limited,

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 27, 1950 5 Claims. l

The invention has reference to machinery guards for textile combing and other machines in which certain moving parts are shielded by means of a guard which is prevented from being displaced when the machine is in operation by an interlocking mechanism associating the guard with a knock-off handle or the like employed to stop the machine.

The present invention proposes, as an alternative form of the supplementary attachment by which the displacement of the guard is prevented so long as any parts of the machine are still running, to provide a detent operatively associated with a handle for releasing the guard and a friction coupling iniiuenced by a principal rotary member of the machine, and connected to said detent in such manner that the detent is maintained in the engaged position preventing movement of said handle whilst said member is rotating, and released when said member comes to rest.

In the case of a combing machine the friction coupling may be operated by the brush shaft, the detent being carried on a lever vwhich is urged towards the engaged position of the detent when the brush shaft rotates but is otherwise actuated by a counter-weight to pivot the lever in the opposite direction s as to disengage the detent and permit the guard handle to be moved to displace the guard.

One embodiment of the invention, as applied to a combing machine guard, is illustrated in and hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing. In said drawing, which is a partly sectional elevation of part of a combing machine, the numeral I0 indicates the machine frame, II the comb cylinder shaft, I2 the top comb, I3 the bottom nipper, and I4 the brush shaft. The top-comb mechanism is protected, when the machine is in operation, by a guard I5 consisting of a boxlike member which is supported over the top nipper by arms I6 fixed on a shaft I'I which is pivotally supported by brackets I8.

Also mounted at I9 on an off-set I8I of each bracket I8 is a shaped abutment member 20 which, when the guard arm I6 is in the position occupied when the guard is in use, is adapted to engage a notch IBI in the boss |62 of said arm I6 so as to prevent a turning movement of the latter into the position, indicated in dotted lines, in which the guard I5 is raised clear of the comb mechanism. Said abutment member 29 is connected by a link 2| with a lever 22 which is fixed on a shaft 23. A lever 24 fixed on said shaft 23 is connected to a reciprocatory rod 25 which is mounted to slide in a bearing 26 and the end 25| of which is adapted to register with a hole 2'II in a bracket 21 carried by the setting-on rod 28. The arrangement is such that only when the rod 25 is in the position occupied when the abutment member 2D is in engagement with the guard arm I6, i. e. when the guard I5 is closed, can the setting-on rod 28 be moved endwise to set the machine in motion. Conversely, the guard I5 cannot be raised when the machine is in motion. A handle 29 is fixed on the shaft 23 for manual disengagement of the abutment member 20 when the machine is at rest and the setting-on rod 28 is in the position wherein it can be locked by the rod 25 to enable the guard I5 to be raised with safety,

The mechanism provided in accordance with the present invention, by which the guard I5 is prevented from displacement from the operative position except when the moving parts of the machine come to rest, comprises a friction coupling of which one part is constituted by a bushing 3G fixed upon the brush shaft I4, the other part of the coupling taking the form of a sleeve 32 fitted with a good running :it upon said bushing. The arrangement is such that the friction between the outer surface of the bushing 30 and the inner surface of the sleeve 32 tends to rotate the sleeve 32 in the same direction as the bushing 30 so long as the brush shaft I4 is rotating.

Slidably mounted in a position conveniently near to the coupling is a rod 33 the end of which is connected at 34 to a lever 35 on the shaft 23 so that the movement of the abutment member 23 to disengage the guard when the latter is in the operative position involves a longitudinal movement of said rod 33. The rod 33 carries a circumferentially grooved block 36. A lever 3l fixed to the sleeve 32 has its extremity 38 shaped as a ringer of which the end is received in the groove 36! of the block 36 on said slidable rod 33, and the arrangement is such that when the brush shaft I4 is rotating the friction between the parts of the coupling serves to press the ringer 38 on said lever 3'! into said groove 36|, thereby positively preventing the slidable movement of said rod 33 (which is essential to permit the displacement of the guard I5) before the brush shaft I 4 has come to a standstill.

When the brush shaft I4 is no longer rotating, a counter-weight 39 serves to raise the finger 3B from the grooved block 36, disengaging the latter and enabling the rod 33 to move when the guard is released.

A stop 40 is provided for limiting the movement of the lever 3'! by said counter-weight 39. It will be understood that when the machine is started, which cannot occur until the guard I5 has been closed, the friction coupling will immediately operate to restore the lever 3'5 to the position engaging the blocl: 3S on the slidable rod 33. A single attachment such as that hereinshaft comes to rest. described may serve to control the several guards y3. A combing machine as claimed in claim 2, of a multi-head machine such as the conventional wherein the coupling members are respectively a comber. bushing xed on the brush shaft and a sleeve ro- It will also be understood that the device is tatable on said bushing, the operation of the couapplicable to other machines where it is desired pling depending upon the friction between the to prevent the displacement of a guard until all contacting surfaces of said bushing and sleeve moving parts of the machine have come to rest. when the latter is restrained from rotating with What I claim as my invention and desire to the former. secure by Letters Patent is: 4. A combing machine as claimed in claim 2, 1. A textile machine comprising, in combinawherein the coupling members are respectively tion, aimova'ble guard, an abutment engageable a bushing fixed on the brush shaft and a sleeve with the guard for obstructing displacement of rotatable on said bushing, the operation of the the guard when the machine is in operation, a coupling depending upon the friction between handle for shifting the abutment to a non-obthe contacting surfaces of said Ibushing and sleeve structing position, and means for holding the when the latter is restrained from rotating with handle stationary and inoperable when the mathe former, and wherein a stop is provided for chine is in operation comprising a principal rolimiting reverse movement of said lever under tary member of the machine which rotates conthe influence of the counter-Weight when the tinually so long as the machine is in operation, brush shaft is at rest. a friction coupling including an output member 39 5. A combing machine as Claimed in Claim 2, frictionally biased through the coupling in a wherein the catch supporting part connected to denite direction in response to the rotation the handle is a rod arranged to Slide longitudiof said rotary member, a detent carried by the Rally When the handle iS Operated, and wherein output member, means positively connected to the catch consists of a circumferentially grooved the handle and adapted to be engaged and locked block xed on said rod, the groove of said block against movement by the detent, the construcbeing capable of receiving the detent on the coution and arrangement being such that the coupling lever when the latter is in the operative pling maintains the detent thus effective so long position. y Y as said rotary member continues to rotate, and means for automatically disengaging said detent 4G Refelens Cited 1n the me 0f thlS Patent when said rotary member comes to rest. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2: A vcombing machine comprising, 1n combl- .Number Name Date nation, a movable guard, an abutment engage- 927 242 Holland July 6 1909 able with the guard for obstructing displacement 1 647657 Palm et l NOV l 1927 of the guard when the machine is in operation, 1797602 Bo yson Mar. 24, 1931 a handle for sluiting the abutment to a non- 1 824 565 Partlow qept 22 1931 obstructing position, and means for holding the 1841823 Krupp Jan 19 1932 handle stationary and inoperable when the machine is in operation comprising the brush shaft FOREIGN PATENTS of the machine which rotates continually so long Number Country Date as the machine s in operation, va friction coupling 25,752 Great Britain of 1909 I including an output member frictionally vbiased 

